Player Grades: Cavs vs Pacers Game 2

Cavs blew it in the final minute.

Disclaimer. I don’t even know how to begin processing the game I just watched. The Cleveland Cavaliers did everything right for 47 minutes. Their decisions in the final seconds may have cost them the season. Let’s figure out a way to unpack this.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

48 points (15-30 shooting), 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block, 5 turnovers

This was shaping up to be one of the most heroic games in NBA Playoff history. Down half of his supporting cast, Mitchell took the Cavaliers' B-squad into battle and put Indiana on the ropes for most of the game.

Mitchell was battered, bruised and thrown to the floor numerous times. Each time, he got back up and worked his way back to the rim for another layup. It was a truly dominant performance as the Pacers had no answer for Mitchell’s offensive onslaught.

Had the Cavs been able to successfully close this game out, Mitchell likely would have finished with 50+ points and a statement win. That said, I can’t blame him for the collapse at the end.

Grade: A+

Jarrett Allen

22 points (7-9 shooting), 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks

The Cavs needed a big game from Allen with Mobley on the bench. Again, they got that for 47 minutes. Allen was lethal as a defensive anchor and repeatedly punished Indiana’s frontcourt on the glass. His 12 rebounds and 3 blocks should have been enough to dominate the paint.

It was just the final seconds that cost him from being recognized for his performance.

Allen isn’t responsible for the way this game unfolded. He boxed out his man on both of the key offensive rebounds snagged from Indiana. Aaron Nesmith crashed from the three-point line for the initial putback. The final play was a chaotic result of Myles Turner batting a contested rebound that Tyrese Haliburton snagged. There wasn’t much more Allen could do in this scenario.

Grade: A

Ty Jerome

2 points (1-14 shooting), 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers

Jerome put together back-to-back disastrous performances to start the series. He’s now a combined 9-34 from the floor after going 1-14 in today’s game. His decision-making gets an F. His shot selection is an F. His vision and playmaking are Fs. This was as bad a game as Jermoe could have delivered given the circumstances.

And the final shot was buried over his head. F.

Grade: F

Sam Merrill

14 points (5-10 shooting), 4 rebounds, 2 steals

Merrill was more effective off the bench than in the starting lineup. He drilled three three-pointers in the first half and gave Cleveland the boost of offense they needed.

The only bad thing about this Merrill performance was the Cavs wasted it.

Grade: A+

Max Strus

23 points (8-18 shooting), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Strus gave Cleveland everything they needed to pull this off. Seriously, he was flawless for 47 minutes and buried a three-pointer that would have been the dagger under normal circumstances. He threw down a thunderous dunk and gave the Cavs some much-needed ball-handling on top of all of that.

Now let’s discuss the final inbounds pass.

The TNT broadcast doesn’t show us the initial action. All we can see is Jerome sealing his defender and Strus lobbing the ball into him. Jerome loses his position as the ball is in the air — and it results in a turnover that looks significantly more damning for Strus than it should be. This is a clean catch and two free throws if Jerome keeps his man sealed.

For this reason, I’m going against my knee-jerk reaction and giving Strus an A. Watching the game live, I couldn’t believe the turnover from Strus. On a replay, it wasn’t nearly as bad an idea as it wound up being.

Grade: A

Dean Wade

3 points (1-4 shooting), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Wade was once again phenomenal defensively. The Cavs dictated the terms of engagement for most of the game and Wade was largely responsible. His switchability posed all sorts of issues for Indiana’s offense.

We know Wade will always leave us wanting more on offense. But he brought it all on defense, including 10 rebounds. This was an outstanding performance from your 9th-10th man in the rotation.

Grade: A+

Isaac Okoro

5 points (1-2 shooting), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

Okoro was just as impactful as Wade defensively. He suppressed Haliburton to only five field goals through the first three quarters. Okoro denied the ball and navigated screens to perfection.

His warts on offense are more noticeable. Okoro isn’t a shooting threat and he isn’t going to break anyone down with his dribble. That said, the Cavs comfortably allowed Okoro to bring the ball up against full-court pressure and funnel the ball to Mitchell. The bar is admittedly low, but there was no point where Okoro actively hurt the offense with indecision or froze when the ball was in his hands.

There’s no delusion as to who Okoro is at this point. His role is to play defense and exist on offense without entering the natural flow of things. He checked both boxes tonight.

Grade: B

Javonte Green

0 points (0-1 shooting), 1 rebounds, 1 steal, 10 minutes

Many of the same things I said about Wade and Okoro can be said for Green in this game. He was impactful as a defender despite bringing nothing on offense. He only played 10 minutes and was better in the first half than the second. If you’re expecting more from Green, you’re expecting too much.

Grade: B-